


(we) stay in this town for life

by AP0LL0S



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Self-Indulgent, Sendai Frogs, Slice of Life, and they get a cat, omg they were roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:27:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26605975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AP0LL0S/pseuds/AP0LL0S
Summary: “That’s our cat.” Tsukishima smirked. “Her name’s Anura.”or,,where the sendai frogs blond trio adopts a cat
Relationships: Goshiki Tsutomu/Koganegawa Kanji, Kyoutani Kentarou/Tsukishima Kei, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 87





	(we) stay in this town for life

“Can we adopt a cat?”

The first time Koganegawa brought it up they were having dinner in their living room. The setter was on the loveseat while Tsukishima and Kyoutani shared the sofa with intertwined legs. Practice had been particularly tiring that day. They had an important match the following week and the coach wanted them to realize how far they could go. By the end of the practice, the three of them had shared a look and there was a silent agreement to get some takeout ramen so that they didn’t have to prepare dinner with throbbing muscles and sore calves.

“ _Uh…?_ ” Tsukishima stopped the chopsticks midair and there was broth dripping down the wavy length of the ramen.

“We could adopt a cat.” Koganegawa repeated, his voice tiny.

“No.”

Kyoutani caught Koganegawa’s gaze. The setter was giving him his best puppy dog eyes but they had been friends for far too long so that he was now immune to it. So he shrugged and kept slurping his ramen, knowing that Koganegawa wouldn’t give up that easily and that it was better to abstain for a few more minutes so that he wouldn’t be pulled into the discussion too soon. He didn’t feel like wasting his last drops of energy discussing the pros and cons of getting a pet - he could only see pros, but there’s no way he would say that out loud and possibly make this a Kogane and Kyoutani versus Tsukishima situation.

“Why not Tsukki? Cats are such nice companions!”

“I assume you’d be the one taking care of it.” He rubbed his temple with two fingers. “Because I don’t feel like coming home after a tiring day and having to clean the mess the cat will most likely create.”

“Of course!” Koganegawa cried and decided to put his ramen box on the coffee table so that he wouldn’t let it fall from his hands while he frantically gestured while he talked, as he always did. “I’d make sure that everything was always cleaned up, you wouldn’t have to worry!”

“I don’t know, I’m not even sure if pets are allowed in the building.” Tsukishima pointed out.

“They are.” Kyoutani said and the other two men looked at him. “Pets are allowed in the building.”

“See!” Koganegawa raised his arms. “Didn’t you once mention that you had a cat when you were younger?”

Surprise flashed through Tsukishima’s eyes. He recalled telling his roommates that his family had had a cat when he was seven. She would curl up in his lap when he arrived from school and follow him everywhere. He had named her Tris and he grew so attached to her that it was odd finding him without her company. So it was only natural that he had his very first heartbreak when his parents found out that his brother was allergic to cats. His mother explained to him that they couldn’t keep Tris and that they had to find her a new family. Tsukishima had cried and wet the cat’s fur with his tears while hugging her. After letting the cat go he made an agreement with his own self on never getting a cat ever again. He didn’t tell his friends that last part so he couldn’t expect Koganegawa to understand it, but how was he gonna let the big setter down without hurting his feelings?

“Maybe we should talk about this another time, ok?” Tsukishima got up, his now empty ramen card box on one hand while the other adjusted his glasses. “Aren’t you guys tired?”

Koganegawa pouted, but a yawn betrayed his intentions on wanting to keep on trying to persuade Tsukishima. The latter took that as an answer and made his way to the kitchen, the card box thrown into the trash can and he passed through the living room one last time to make his way to the bedroom.

“Can you convince him?” Koganegawa asked after they heard Tsukishima close the door to his room.

“I don’t know.” Kyoutani sighed. “You know how big of a headstrong he is.”

“So am I.”

“That you are.” Kyoutani shook his head while standing up, a playful smile dancing on his lips. “Don’t go to bed too late, ok?”

Koganegawa nodded and found himself alone in the living room.

  
  
  
  
  


The next morning Tsukishima woke up before his alarm went off. It was something quite unusual for him since he enjoyed late mornings in his bed with nothing to worry about. But he took his early awakening as a motivation to get some work done before leaving for practice. Kyoutani was still sleeping on the other side of the bed, an arm over his forehead and soft snores escaping pouty lips.

Upon arriving at the kitchen he noticed that there was no coffee left, so he grabbed a pen from the countertop and quickly scribbled on the shopping list that hung on the fridge with a little ladybug magnet that Koganegawa had brought along when he moved in. It was his turn to go grocery shopping but he wouldn’t do it until later since it was too early and no store was open.

He dressed his coat and tried being as quiet as possible when leaving the apartment. The coffee shop was a couple of blocks away but the streets were mostly empty and Tsukishima decided that he didn’t mind walking a little bit. Even more, the morning was not as chilly as usual, so it felt nice to stroll by himself.

As he was almost reaching the coffee shop something caught the corner of his eyes. There was a bakery on the first floor of an old four-story building. The last three floors had broken windows and chipped paint that made one wonder how no one had yet decided to demolish it. But there was the small bakery on the first floor, its outside walls painted in pastel blue. By the windows, there was pottery and vases with colorful flowers, not a single dead plant in sight. But what caught Tsukishima’s eye was none of those things since he was well used to the looks of the bakery.

It was a pair of curious eyes fixated on him that made him stop on his tracks and stare at the cat perched on the bakery’s windowsill. Its fur was black with little spots of white, one of which framed its right eye.

_Now what a coincidence_ , Tsukishima thought to himself as he saw the cat jumping to the floor. He crouched down in front of it and extended his hand waiting for the small animal to approach him. When the cat finally nuzzled the palm of his hand, Tsukishima smiled softly.

“Are you lost?” He asked and scratched the cat’s neck looking for a collar. “A stray cat, _uh_?”

It meowed and despite not understanding what it meant, Tsukishima nodded and patted the top of its head.

“Wait a little bit right here, I’m bringing you some food.”

Tsukishima got up and strode down the street until he finally reached the coffee shop. It was almost empty apart from a girl sitting on one of the tables by the wall. By the end of the day, the place would have smelled like cinnamon and coffee, but Tsukishima was disappointed to find out that at eight in the morning it only smelled like cleaning products. He pushed the thought away and made his way to the counter.

“Good morning, what can I get you?”

He was a simple man. Or so he thought. His friends would most likely disagree and list the little details he was so keen on following. The bus pass he would pay on the first day of the month, in spite of having the first five days of the month to do so. The books he kept on his shelf meticulously ordered by release date and no, it did not matter if there was a standalone between two books of a series. So he asked for a caramel macchiato with _extra_ caramel, because he was a simple man who didn’t care if it was too sweet. He needed it anyway. He also decided to take an espresso and a cappuccino for his roommates since there was no coffee left in the cabinet.

“And can I get a cup of milk?” Tsukishima asked as he fished for his wallet that was in one of the countless pockets of his coat.

Finally he left the coffee shop with his order and fastened his pace so that he could finally stop in front of the bakery’s facade. The cat was gone. The windowsill was empty and inside there were people filling up the showcase with freshly baked pastries and bread. Tsukishima pouted and started making his way back home. His steps were small in hopes of reencountering the cat, but he eventually reached the building's entrance.

Then he recalled Koganegawa’s request the previous night and wondered if this was some sort of sign from the universe. He was a regular customer of the coffee shop and not once had he seen the cat before. And now that Koganegawa had asked if they could adopt a cat, he had, coincidentally, met a cat. Not only that but it resembled the cat he used to own as a kid.

“Good morning Tsukki!”

He realized that he was home when he heard Koganegawa’s voice, his head peeking from the kitchen.

“ _Oh_ , you brought us breakfast?”

“Yeah, there’s no coffee left. I’m going shopping after practice.” Tsukishima explained and handed Koganegawa his drink. “No sugar, right?”

“No sugar!” He repeated with a smile and took a sip of hot coffee. “Thank you! I can’t function without my morning coffee.”

“I’m aware.” Tsukishima smiled.

He was wondering how Koganegawa came up with the idea of adopting a cat. He had never mentioned it and out of a sudden, he decided that he wanted a pet. But Tsukishima knew better than to inquire the tall setter. He would be digging his own grave by giving Koganegawa an excuse to talk about the matter again. And deep down Tsukishima knew that he would not have the strength to fight against it once more.

“What’s the milk for?”

Tsukishima was confused for a second but then remembered the cup of milk that he had ordered in hopes of finding the cat waiting for him in front of the bakery. He was still upset that the cat ran away, but he couldn’t really expect a stray cat to sit still waiting for him to come back. And he knew that cats are animals with minds of their own, so he shrugged off the disappointment.

“That’s for me.” He picked up the cup and sipped it to prove his point.

“You don’t usually drink milk in the morning.” Koganegawa pointed out, but he was already leaving the kitchen.

“This is disgusting.” Tsukishima muttered to himself after gulping down the milk, his face squirming.

  
  
  
  
  


“Oikawa said he’s coming to Japan next week and the team wants to meet.” Kyoutani said.

He usually tagged along whenever Tsukishima went grocery shopping. They had just left the supermarket and were walking down the sidewalk with paper bags on their arms. It was still sunny since the coach decided to finish practice a little earlier.

“That’s good, no?” Tsukishima asked. “Don’t you miss them?”

The last time he reunited with his old high school teammates had been so long ago that he barely remembered it. They would reunite at least once a year, Nishinoya always made sure to text the group chat so that no one forgot about it. And in all honesty, Tsukishima loved meeting with his old friends. Yamaguchi and Yachi were the only ones who he got to see almost every week, but the rest of the team lived far away and it took days of planning to get them all in the same room.

“I do.” Kyoutani admitted. “I’m pretty sure that if Oikawa didn’t decide to come and visit us, Iwaizumi would come up with a plan to go all the way to Argentina.”

“Hey, that sounds nice!”

“You’re clearly missing the fact that I’d be stuck in a plane with my old teammates for hours.” He huffs and at that Tsukishima laughs. “Plus, the tickets are super expensive and the flight is like a day long.”

“How do you know that?” Tsukishima looked at him.

“What?”

“How do you know that it’s expensive and that the flight takes so long?”

Tsukishima knew better than to make Kyoutani talk. If he wanted to, he’d talk. At first, it was odd. Kyoutani moved in with Tsukishima because it was practical. They knew each other from high school and they were going to play for the same team. And rent was easier to pay when parcelled. So they started sharing a flat, even if most of the time it seemed like no one was home.

None of them was loud and none of them felt the need to start conversation other than simple greetings or small talk about practice. So there wasn’t a breaking point when everything changed and suddenly they turned into the biggest chatters on earth. It started with Kyoutani joining Tsukishima in the living room watching a movie, then they’d sit in the kitchen during breakfast, talking about which movie they should watch next. It was a crescendo of actions, touching shoulders on the sidewalk and brushing hands reaching for the same volleyball. It was comfortable and they had somehow created their own language. And it was theirs to create barriers, to put commas and periods where they were missing.

“Meow.”

Tsukishima blinked as if the sudden sound had woke him up from a trance. They were almost home, the building a few steps away. And right at the opening of an alley, there was the cat he had seen earlier that morning. It was absently licking its paw and Tsukishima stopped walking. He turned on his heels so that he was facing the cat.

“Hello there.” He held out his arm and it only took the cat a pair of seconds to find the inside of Tsukishima’s hand.

“Is it lost?” Kyoutani asked balancing the paper bag on his left arm so that he could crouch down to pet the cat.

“I don’t think it has an owner.”

“Yeah, there’s no collar.” Kyoutani nodded after noticing.

The cat stared at Kyoutani’s paper bag as if asking what was inside and he placed it on the pavement. Immediately, the cat put his nose inside of it, sniffing around.

“Is there something we can feed it?” Tsukishima asked.

“Maybe some tuna?”

Kyoutani pulled out a can of tuna from the paper bag and opened the lid. The cat lifted its head and started purring waiting for Kyoutani to finally put the can on the floor.

“I found this cat near the coffee shop today.” Tsukishima said while they waited for the cat to finish its food.

“So it’s following you?” Kyoutani raised an eyebrow. “You’re lucky Koganegawa is not here right now, he’d want to take it home.”

“I know.” Tsukishima chuckled. “It looks like my old cat.”

“Does it?”

“Yeah, she was also black with the little white spot around the eye.” Tsukishima recalled. “Do you think we should take it to the vet?”

_The streets could be dangerous for the cat_ , he thought. If it got into a fight with a stray dog there was a big chance it might get out hurt. Tsukishima would rather go home knowing that the cat was safe and being properly fed.

“Can you carry the bags by yourself? I can take it to the vet, it’s not that far and it’s probably still open.”

“Sure.” Kyoutani said.

“And don’t mention it to Kogane.” Tsukishima pointed out while he picked up the cat.

“We could keep it, you know.” Kyoutani proposed now securing the bags in his arms. “But don’t worry, I won’t mention it.”

Tsukishima watched Kyoutani leave and then he looked down at the cat on his arms. It looked young so Tsukishima didn’t expect it to be too heavy but holding it felt softer than it should’ve had and he could feel the cat’s rib cage against his fingertips. He felt a lump on his throat and started going the opposite way of the building where he lived.

“Let’s get you somewhere safe.” Tsukishima said and the furball meowed at him.

  
  
  
  
  


Luckily the vet was empty and the lady at the counter smiled when Tsukishima approached her. The cat had been quietly snuggled against Tsukishima’s chest the whole walk and it only moved a little to brush against the lady’s hand when she scratched its neck.

“Good afternoon, how can I help you?”

“Good afternoon. I was wondering if you keep stray animals in here.”

“We do, most of them until the animal shelter can come and take them.” She explained. “We don’t have much space here, but we can always assure a safe place for any animal. Do you want to adopt another cat, is that it?”

“Another cat?” He asked and suddenly remembered that he was holding a cat. “ _Oh_ , no. I found this cat on my way home and I thought it’d be safer to bring it here.”

“Stray cats aren’t that friendly, you know? They tend to be shy and run away whenever someone approaches them.” She noted with a smile and typed something of the computer sitting in front of her. “It looks like the cat likes you.”

“I used to own a cat, so that’s probably why.”

She gave him a quick glance before leaving the counter to stand beside him, her arms extended so that the cat would be passed down to her.

“We can do a quick check-up and see if it has a microchip.” She suggested. “Do you mind waiting a little bit?”

“No, at all.”

Tsukishima carefully handed her the cat and she gestured to the chairs behind him.

“I’ll be back in a second.”

He took a seat and recalled what the lady at the counter had just said to him. He also liked the cat, it was incredibly gentle, and holding it against his chest had brought back old memories from his old cat. The fact that this cat also looked a lot like Tris didn’t help at all. It was as if it was all a test against his strength. _What if I took this cat home_ , he thought. It would feel like a punch against his pride after telling Koganegawa that they could not adopt a cat. But as he thought about the cat being adopted by another family, he felt troubled.

So what if he grew attached to a cat he’d only met twice?

A couple of minutes later the door through which the lady had taken the cat finally opened. There was the same woman holding the cat and she approached Tsukishima.

“She does not have a microchip. If I had to guess I’d say she was born from a stray cat. Also, she’s malnourished, and given the fact that she’s no older than one year that is quite concerning. A year-old cat should be a little bit bigger.” The lady explained while petting the cat’s head. “We gave her some milk.”

“So apart from that everything is ok?” He asked and resisted the urge to reach up and pet her.

“Yes, everything is alright apart from that.”

Tsukishima got up and shoved his hands on the pockets of his coat. The cat was staring right at him with her blue eyes, something like a plea hidden in there.

“You know, not a lot of people do what you did.” The woman’s voice made him look up from the cat’s eyes. “People just walk by and don’t care if there’s an abandoned animal in the streets. That’s how self-centered they are.”

“I had to.”

He finally reached up and let his fingers massage behind the cat’s ears. She immediately purred and tried catching his fingers with her paw, claws barely scratching his knuckles.

“Can I take her with me?”

  
  
  
  
  


The walk back home was a blur as Tsukishima tried to come up with an explanation on why he was taking a cat to their apartment after telling Koganegawa that they wouldn’t be adopting one. He hoped neither Koganegawa nor Kyoutani would mention his words from the previous night. He was too proud to face it.

“Hey.” Kyoutani greeted after opening the door to Tsukishima and immediately eyed the cat in his arms. “I knew it.”

“No you didn’t.” Tsukishima rolled his eyes and placed a small peck on Kyoutani’s lips. “Where is Kogane?”

“Facetiming Goshiki, I guess?” Kyoutani said. “So now we own a cat?”

“We do.”

As if she understood what they were saying, the cat jumped out from Tsukishima’s embrace and landed gracefully on the wooden floor. She stretched her whole body and then rubbed her body against Kyoutani’s calves.

“The vet said she’s malnourished so I’m getting cat food tomorrow.” Tsukishima said, making his way to the living room to sit on the sofa. “And some toys. And a litter box.”

“Have you thought of a name?” Kyoutani joined him on the sofa.

“Actually, I have.”

Kyoutani stared at him expectantly and Tsukishima grinned. The cat was walking around the room, scratching the furniture with her paw and sniffing some spots.

“Anura.”

“Does it have a meaning?” Kyoutani asked with curiosity.

“It’s the scientific name for frogs.”

“You’re such a nerd.” Kyoutani shook his head but was smiling so Tsukishima couldn’t help but flash a smile. “I like it. It’s fitting.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a screech from the other side of the apartment and the next thing Tsukishima knew, Koganegawa was in front of him holding Anura in one arm while the other hand had his phone turned to his face.

“Hold up Tsutomu, I’ll call you back in a second!” Koganegawa spoke quickly and then threw his phone to the loveseat. “Why was there a cat at my door?!”

“That’s our cat.” Tsukishima smirked. “Her name’s Anura.”

“What do you mean this is our cat?!” Koganegawa was always loud, but at that moment the tone of his voice was higher than usual. “She’s adorable, look at her cute little paws!”

He sat down cross-legged on the floor, the cat carefully placed on top of his shins. She seemed to like the tall loud man as she kept demanding that he petted her, snout rubbing against his hand.

“You’re not kidding, right?” Koganegawa looked up.

“Do you think I’d bring a cat home just to pull a prank on you?” Tsukishima asked with a squint.

“I have to show her to Goshiki!”

He then got up and picked up his phone, taking his place on the loveseat. Anura took the cue and jumped to his lap. Seconds later there was another excited voice coming from Koganegawa’s phone.

“Is that a cat on your lap?!”

“You won’t believe it, Tsukki brought her home! Look Anura, this is Goshiki!”

  
  
  
  
  


Later that night Tsukishima was sitting on bed with a book in his hands. Before everyone went back to their bedrooms they gathered some old pillows and blankets so that Anura could sleep comfortably. She had dozed off in a matter of seconds and that’s when they decided to call it a day and go to sleep.

“I’d like to travel with you someday.” Kyoutani broke the silence and Tsukishima looked at him.

“Where do you want to go?” Tsukishima asked and put the book down, his body finding shelter under the sheets. “Is there a specific place you’d like to visit?”

“Oikawa keeps saying how beautiful Argentina is.” He muttered and turned to his side so that he was facing Tsukishima. “That’s why I know that the flight is expensive and that it takes so long.”

“You want to go to Argentina?” Tsukishima cupped Kyoutani’s jaw and stroked his cheek.

“It doesn’t really matter, as long as it’s with you.”

“Don’t say those kind of things so often or you’re going to break me.” Tsukishima chuckled and leaned forward to kiss Kyoutani’s nose.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” Kyoutani rolled his eyes and snuggled closer, his arm hugging Tsukishima’s chest. “Koganegawa would have to babysit Anura.”

“I think he'd do ok, she seems to like him.” Tsukishima said with a shrug. “But I hope you know I'm not forgetting about this trip idea.”

“Good.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! i hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> you can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/DABISHIMA)


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